Search Results (190)

This article analyzes the governance of religious diversity in public employment through the study of Quebec’s Bill 21. It examines how the State uses neutrality to manage religious symbols, focusing on implications for pluralism and fundamental rights within democratic governance frameworks and diversity regulation in plural societies. It situates Bill 21 within Quebec’s longer legal and political trajectory, marked by failed legislative attempts, recourse to the “notwithstanding clause,” and deep social polarisation around the construction of a francophone, secular identity. Methodologically, the study combines doctrinal analysis of Canadian constitutional law with a detailed examination of European Court of Human Rights and Court of Justice of the European Union case law, as well as a critical discussion of the Bouchard–Taylor Commission’s model of “open secularism” and later reinterpretations by Bouchard, Taylor and Maclure. The article finds that Quebec’s lawmakers selectively invoke European jurisprudence and the language of neutrality to justify far-reaching restrictions on visible religious symbols, especially for officials with coercive powers such as judges, police and prison staff, in ways that go beyond typical European practice. It argues that equating impartiality with an appearance of strict neutrality reflects the cultural assumptions of the majority and produces discriminatory effects on religious minorities, limiting both freedom of religion and equal access to public employment. The conclusion contends that neutrality should be assessed primarily through officials’ conduct rather than their appearance and that more inclusive models of secularism—grounded in open secularism and reasonable accommodation—offer better tools for reconciling State neutrality, pluralism and fundamental rights. Full article

The growing presence of autonomous AI systems, such as self-driving cars and humanoid robots, raises critical ethical questions about how these technologies should make moral decisions. Most existing moral machine (MM) models rely on secular, utilitarian principles, which prioritize the greatest good for the greatest number but often overlook the religious and cultural values that shape moral reasoning across different traditions. This paper explores how theological perspectives, particularly those from Christian, Islamic, and East Asian ethical frameworks, can inform and enrich algorithmic ethics in autonomous systems. By integrating these religious values, the study proposes a more inclusive approach to AI decision making that respects diverse beliefs. A key innovation of this research is the use of large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT (GPT-5.2), to design with human guidance MM architectures that incorporate these ethical systems. Through Python 3 scripts, the paper demonstrates how autonomous machines, e.g., vehicles and humanoid robots, can make ethically informed decisions based on different religious principles. The aim is to contribute to the development of AI systems that are not only technologically advanced but also culturally sensitive and ethically responsible, ensuring that they align with a wide range of theological values in morally complex situations. Full article

This article analyzes the long-term relationship between Islam and media in Indonesia through the lens of mediatization. While most research on the mediatization of religion is grounded in Western secular contexts, this study examines how the process unfolds in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, whose religious life and cultural dynamics differ significantly from the Arab world. Using a historical approach, this study traces the evolution of Islamic media from the early twentieth century to the digital era, encompassing prints, broadcast programming, and social media platforms. The findings show that the interaction between Islam and media in Indonesia is a gradual, negotiated transformation shaped by political shifts, technological change, and evolving religious authority. Instead of producing secularization, successive media formats have enabled the continual rearticulation and popularization of Islamic values. New actors such as televangelists and digital preachers have emerged, challenging traditional authorities and prompting adaptations in religious practice to fit media formats and audience expectations. Although commercialization and algorithms sometimes result in a banalized expressions of religion, media developments also create new participatory spaces for religious engagement and personal piety. The study offers a non-Western model of mediatization grounded in Indonesia’s unique media and religious landscape. Full article

Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Mianning County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture between 2023 and 2024, this paper analyzes the “xiō bū” (ꑭꁮ) ritual of the Liangshan Yi people. Framed within contemporary approaches to religious anthropology and social memory theory, the study explores how this ritual constructs Yi ecological ethics, social integration, and cultural identity through nature worship, ancestral spirit beliefs, and ritual practices. The ethnographic evidence reveals that the “xiō bū” ritual, by designating wooded mountains as sacred space and performing sacrifices to nature deities and ancestral spirits, integrates “humans—nature—ancestors” into a symbiotic system of the “community of life.” This reflects the Yi people’s relational ontology and embedded ecological knowledge. The sacrificial offerings, shared meals, and purification practices in the ritual not only reinforce reverence for nature through symbolic acts but also unify the community through Durkheimian “collective effervescence,” thereby restoring the community’s spiritual order. As a carrier of social memory, the “xiō bū” ritual, through epic chanting, symbolic performances (such as clothing, ritual implements), and bodily practices (like the ritual specialist’s movements), embeds individual memories into the collective historical narrative of the group, dynamically constructing the cultural boundaries of the “Yi” people. The ritual specialists (Bimo or Suni), as intermediaries of knowledge and power, maintain religious authority through bricolage-like symbolic reorganization and foster the creative transformation of tradition in response to the challenges of modernity. The study further reveals that while the ritual faces challenges in the contemporary context, such as secularization and population mobility, it continues to activate ethnic identity by simplifying rituals, preserving core symbols, and coupling with ecological discourses, offering a model for the modern adaptation of traditional religions. This paper argues that ritual studies should engage with contemporary theoretical approaches like the ontological turn, focus on the agency of individuals, and reflect on the insights traditional knowledge systems offer in the face of globalization and ecological crises. Full article

Avery Dulles, in The Catholicity of the Church, conceptualizes catholicity in terms of its vertical dimension and its horizontal dimension, articulating the principles necessary to preserve catholicity in ecumenical contexts. His work redefines the relationship between catholicity and Catholicism. In Models of the Church, Dulles integrates these two aspects through a dual ecclesiological model: the Church as Sacrament and as Community of Disciples. His ecclesiology enables the Church to engage with the secular society through concrete discipleship and public witness. Dulles’s vision, when expanded through Moltmann’s insights, offers a compelling theological model for contemporary ecumenism. Transcending mere doctrinal convergence, this model fosters a united Christian witness against secular atheism. This integrated approach advances a renewed understanding of ecclesial identity, rooted in discipleship, sacramentality, and social responsibility. Full article

This article reexamines one of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s central tales, “The Clever Man and the Simple Man,” through three intertwined foundations that shaped its composition: the Hasidic valorization of the sincere simple person, the story of the Sockmaker in Shivhei ha-Besht, and the myth of Enoch the Shoemaker who became the angel Metatron. While previous scholarship has interpreted the tale primarily as an internal spiritual struggle between intellect and faith, this study argues that the deeper architecture of the story is rooted in these narrative and mythic traditions, which Rabbi Nachman reshapes in order to formulate a new ideal of simplicity. The article demonstrates that the Simple Man—far from the naïve or ignorant figure of folkloric tradition—embodies conscious simplicity, characterized by integrity, inner contentment, and an unmediated orientation toward reality. The analysis further shows how Rabbi Nachman develops the Hasidic tradition that transforms the Enoch myth from a model of mystical theurgy into a paradigm of sanctifying ordinary life through wholehearted presence and trust. In its final section, the article situates the tale within Rabbi Nachman’s broader struggle against the emerging modern spirit. It argues that the story offers a unique understanding of the dangers inherent in Enlightenment and modernity: the root of heresy lies not in intellectual inquiry or philosophical doubt, but in a modern way of life defined by restlessness, dissatisfaction, and a destabilized existential orientation. From this perspective, Rabbi Nachman presents the figure of the Simple Man as the path by which a person “walks with God,” and as a profound response to the spiritual challenges posed by modernity and secularization. Full article

This paper investigates the optimal control problem of orbital rendezvous for spacecraft in near-circular orbits with a low-thrust propulsion system. Two optimality criteria are considered: time-optimal and motor-time-optimal control. A linearized mathematical model of relative motion between the active and passive spacecraft is employed, which is formulated in dimensionless variables that characterize secular, periodic, and lateral motion components of the relative motion. By applying Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle, the equations governing the optimal relative motion of the spacecraft are derived. To address the discontinuities associated with the bang–bang switching function inherent in the motor-time-optimal problem, and the lack of a suitable initial guess, a homotopy method is adopted, in which the solution to the rendezvous time-optimal problem is used as an initial guess and is gradually deformed into the motor-time-optimal control. Considering the errors introduced by the linearization of the relative motion model, the obtained control law is validated via numerical simulations based on the original nonlinear dynamics of the system. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed trajectory optimization methodology achieves high success rates and rapid convergence, providing valuable theoretical support and practical guidance for mission scenarios with similar trajectory design requirements. Full article

This article addresses the need to rethink models for managing religious diversity in Europe, which, among other causes, has transformed into a multi-religious society, breaking with Christian hegemony as a result of the migration processes of the last century. The author proposes governance as an essential tool for managing religious diversity, understood as a style of government that promotes interaction and cooperation between the State and non-state actors, including religious denominations, in decision-making processes to regulate this phenomenon and enable individuals and the groups they belong to, to exercise their fundamental right to religious freedom. This approach seeks the social inclusion and effective participation of religious minorities to combat their marginalization and radicalization. To this end, we propose moving away from laicism positions that seek to exclude religion from the public sphere or from those that defend the political use of religion as an element of national identity, proposing instead a model of positive secularism like the Spanish one. Analysing the Spanish model, the article argues how the political participation of religious minorities through a model of religious governance in the management of religious diversity is crucial for building inclusive and safe societies where social cohesion and the full observance of religious freedom and other fundamental rights are achieved. Full article

This study explores the dynamics of engaged spiritualities within contemporary Buddhist communities in Italy. By employing an ethnographic approach, the research examines how physical space fosters spiritual experiences, facilitates social interactions, and serves as a site for personal and collective transformation. The study integrates insights from religious studies, anthropology, and neuroscience to analyse the cognitive and emotional effects of meditation while also engaging with Foucault’s theories on power and space to understand Buddhist centres as structured environments that shape individual and collective subjectivities. The research highlights how engaged Buddhism in Italy adapts traditional practices to contemporary challenges, particularly in response to mental health concerns among university students. Through participant observation and interviews conducted during mindfulness and contemplative education programmes, the study demonstrates how meditation contributes to psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and social connection. This analysis aligns with theoretical discussions on the conceptualisation of spirituality in modern societies, illustrating how engaged spiritualities manifest in secular and pluralistic contexts. The findings suggest that Buddhist spaces in Italy function not only as sites of religious practice but also as transformative environments where power relations are renegotiated, identity is reconstructed, and alternative ways of living emerge. The study further explores how scientific advancements in neuroscience inform spiritual practices, shedding light on the reciprocal relationship between spiritual yearning and scientific inquiry. Finally, the research contributes to the debate on the future of engaged spiritualities in the face of global crises. It argues that while Buddhist communities in Italy preserve traditional wisdom, they also actively shape new forms of spiritual engagement that respond to contemporary social, political, and environmental challenges. This work situates engaged Buddhism as a key player in fostering alternative models of coexistence, well-being, and ethical responsibility in the modern world. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite extensive research on the outcomes faced by parents in contexts of political violence, as well as the protective factors that enhance their well-being, the experiences of single parents by choice (SPCs) in such circumstances have largely been neglected. This study sought to address this gap by examining the experiences of SPCs during the current phase of the Israel–Hamas war that began on 7 October 2023. Method: This qualitative study used a context-informed approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Israeli SPCs (5 fathers and 6 mothers), including 2 displaced due to the destruction of their homes. All participants were secular Jews, predominantly middle- to upper-middle-class, aged 40–58, and had at least one child aged 15 months to 17 years. A thematic analysis method was utilized. Results: Two overarching themes emerged from the interviews, shaping participants’ wartime experiences: (1) the intensified challenges associated with parenting alone in the context of armed conflict and (2) the factors that mediated the impact of these challenges. Three key challenges identified by participants included: (1) persistent perceptions of danger and threat to life; (2) heightened financial insecurity; and (3) significant disruptions to daily routines. Three systemic-level protective factors were identified as instrumental in mitigating these challenges: (1) engagement in joint familial activities; (2) the presence of a supportive work environment; and (3) social and political engagement. These factors appeared to foster resilience and enhance participants’ psychological coping capacities amidst ongoing conflict. Conclusions: By highlighting the distinct stressors faced by SPCs in wartime and the factors mediating their impact on well-being, our findings extend the Stress Process Model to conflict settings, enhancing understanding of how single parenting is contextually shaped during major community crises. The findings may encourage clinicians and social workers to adopt a more nuanced approach when working with parents in conflict zones, enabling them to tailor interventions to the specific needs of different family structures. For SPCs, such interventions may include tele-counseling to provide psychosocial support and guidance for parents in supporting their children, without the need for childcare or travel, as well as advocacy for workplace policies that reduce financial and emotional vulnerabilities. Full article

This article analyses the phenomenon of nonreligiosity in Northern Poland in the context of secularisation, individualisation, and pluralisation in religion. Based on quantitative research conducted in 2024 among adult residents of Western and Gdańsk Pomerania (N = 1500), this study shows that nonreligiosity is not merely a lack of faith but a multidimensional social construct encompassing both religious indifference and active irreligiosity. Factor analysis confirmed a two-dimensional structure—religious indifference and irreligiosity—differing in their degree of reactivity towards religion. In Western Pomerania, both forms are statistically stronger and conceptually broader, taking the shape of secular individualism and demands for a more secular public sphere, whereas in Gdańsk Pomerania, attitudes are more polarised, ranging from institutionalised faith to open contestation of the Church. Drawing on the approaches of Campbell, Zuckerman, Bullivant, Klug, and Lee, this study interprets nonreligiosity as a dynamic field of attitudes, from distance to opposition towards religion. The findings indicate that secularisation in Poland does not lead to the disappearance of religion but to its restructuring and privatisation. Nonreligiosity thus emerges as an alternative source of meaning, morality, and identity in a post-Catholic society, while regional differences reveal a hybrid model of secularisation that combines passivity and distance with active contestation, confirming the continuum between religiosity and nonreligiosity in contemporary worldviews. Full article

Religious clothing serves as the external manifestation of religious culture, and its evolutionary process not only reflects the developmental trajectory of religion but also demonstrates cultural exchange and social transformation in specific historical periods. This study focuses on the localization and evolution of Chinese Buddhism monks’ robes as its research subject. Through analyzing historical documents, archaeological materials, and artistic works, it explores the transformation process from Indian Kasaya to Chinese Haiqing 海青 (Chinese Buddhist Ceremonial Robe) and its cultural implications. The research findings reveal that the localization process of Chinese Buddhism monks’ robes exhibits characteristics of gradual Cultural Adaptation: while maintaining the core of Buddhist doctrine, it achieved organic integration with traditional Chinese culture through systematic reconstruction of material forms. This is specifically manifested in three aspects: formal adaptation responding to environmental constraints, the integration of craftsmanship and materials embodying cultural dialogue, and the color hierarchy system reflecting the dynamic interplay between secular power and religious authority. This process facilitated the reconstruction of monks’ multidimensional Identity Reconstruction—forming a new balance model among religious transcendence, cultural belonging, and social participation. This study provides a theoretical framework for understanding the internal logic of religious localization and the adaptive mechanisms of Cross-cultural Communication. Full article

The Epitaph of Yuan Nanzi reveals the complex situation of aristocratic women in Northern Dynasties, caught between Buddhist devotion and familial obligations. Though burdened by secular hardships, Yuan Nanzi devoted herself to raising her children and restoring the family’s fortunes, highlighting the pivotal role of mothers in sustaining family continuity. In later life, she developed a deep interest in Buddhist scriptures, yet due to familial resistance, she did not formally ordain as a bhikṣuṇī until the age of seventy-three. Even then, she chose to practice Buddhism at home and was eventually buried in the clan cemetery, embodying a distinct model of “faith at home.” This path of practice, which integrated religious pursuit with familial responsibilities, was not only present among bhikṣuṇīs in the Northern Dynasties but also became widespread in the Tang dynasty, reflecting Buddhism’s adaptation to traditional Chinese family-centered social structures and Confucian ideology. Full article

Contemporary interpretations of psychedelic spirituality are dominated by the “mystical experience model,” which emphasizes that psychedelics can lead to well-being through bringing about ego dissolution and a unitive mystical experience. Rooted in perennialist and dualist assumptions—often derived from Christian mysticism, Vedanta, and Plotinian Neoplatonism—this framework has shaped both scientific discourse and popular understanding of psychedelic states. However, the mystical experience model is controversial: (1) secular critics consider it as too religious; (2) it is a form of mystical exceptionalism, narrowly focusing on only certain extraordinary experiences; (3) its ontological assumptions include a Cartesian separation between internal experience and external reality and a perennialist focus on ultimate reality; (4) it neglects psychedelic learning processes; (5) in the ritual and ceremonial use of psychedelics, shared intentionality and practices of sacred participation are more important than the induction of individual mystical experiences. This article proposes an alternative and complementary model grounded in theurgy, based on the Neoplatonism of Iamblichus and the participatory ontological pluralism of Bruno Latour. Unlike the mystical experience model, which privileges individual unitary experiences, theurgy affirms ritual mediation, ritual competence, and both individual and collective transformation. Theurgic ritual practice makes room for the encounter with autonomous entities (framed by Latour as “beings of religion”) that are often reported by participants in psychedelic ceremonies. By examining how the theurgic framework can expand our understanding of psychedelic spirituality in a way that is truer to psychedelic phenomenology, especially the presence of autonomous entities, imaginal realms, and the centrality of intention and ritual, this article argues that theurgy offers a nuanced and experientially congruent framework that complements the mystical experience model. Framing psychedelic spirituality through theurgic lenses opens space for a vision of the sacred that is not about escaping the world into undifferentiated unity, but about individual and collective transformation in communion with a living, differentiated cosmos. Full article

Teotihuacan, one of the most significant urban and ceremonial centers of ancient Mesoamerica, was abruptly abandoned in the mid-1st millennium AD. The cause and timing of its collapse—commonly placed between 600 and 650 AD—remain major questions in Mesoamerican archaeology. In this study, we present a new archaeomagnetic investigation of six burned structures distributed along the Street of the Dead, including sites at the Square of the Moon, the Room of Columns, the Northwest Complex of the San Juan River, the Superimposed Buildings, and the West Plaza. Magnetic analyses revealed pseudo-single-domain magnetite as the main remanence carrier and produced well-grouped paleodirections (site-mean declinations ranging from 341.1° to 1.7°, α₉₅ ≤ 3.6°) and reliable absolute paleointensities (ranging from 39.4 ± 3.4 μT to 52.5 ± 5.4 μT), obtained using the Thellier-type double-heating method. Archaeomagnetic dating using both global geomagnetic models (SHAWQ.2k) and regional secular variation curves suggests that the last heating events at these sites occurred between ~400 and 500 AD—well before the traditionally cited Metepec phase (550–650 AD) and the so-called “Great Fire.” These findings challenge the prevailing chronological framework and provide compelling evidence that major episodes of destruction and depopulation may have begun earlier than previously recognized. Full article